The Kentucky Public Service Commission Monday approved a request by Kentucky Power to buy a 50-percent share of a plant in West Virginia and shutter the Big Sandy plant in Lawrence County, Ky.

The company wants to close the Big Sandy plant near Louisa in 2015 instead of upgrading the facility to comply with stricter air regulations from the Environmental Protection Agency.

Kentucky Power will buy half of the Mitchell plant near Moundsville, W.Va.

Rates will spike about 14 percent, and customers could see bigger bills in the next two months according to PSC officials.

Around 173,000 customers in 20 Eastern Kentucky counties are affected by the decision.

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A state judicial oversight panel publicly reprimanded an Eastern Kentucky judge over comments he made during the sentencing of a teacher convicted of sexually abusing five teenage girls that were his students.

Mitchell pleaded guilty to 15 sex-related charges, including sending explicit photos to a student and having intercourse with a minor while he was a teacher at Sebastian Middle School in Breathitt County.

During the sentencing, Fletcher said Mitchell was "not blind" and "only human" and that some of of the girls did not look their age.

The commission ruled Fletcher's comments showed prejudice in the case.